Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

St. Louis Protesters March Into the Night

Demonstrators disrupted shopping at upscale suburban malls on Saturday and later marched through a popular district of bars and restaurants to protest a white St. Louis police officer's acquittal in the killing of a black man, but the second day of protests was peaceful following sporadic vandalism and violence a night earlier.

Organizers called for the "White Allies Only" rally, which began at Kiener Plaza. The demonstration is the latest of several since Friday, when a judge acquitted former police officer Jason Stockley, who is white, of fatally shooting a 24-year-old black man, Anthony Lamar Smith.

Protest organizer Cori Bush said people of many races are upset and angry about the treatment of blacks in St. Louis. She said the rally will help drive that point home.

"I think it's great for people to know there are white people that believe black lives matter and aren't afraid to show it, that want to tear down systemic racism," Bush said.

Protest After St. Louis Cop's Acquittal Turns Violent in St. Louis

In St. Louis, a peaceful day of protests took a destructive turn after nightfall Sunday as vandals damaged property. NBC's Dan Scheneman reports. The protests come after former police officer Jason Stockley was acquitted in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith.

(Published Monday, Sept. 18, 2017)

Jennifer Sherer, a demonstrator from St. Louis, said the city remains badly segregated.

"When you look at the history of St. Louis, the racial divide is very intentional," Sherer said while holding a "black lives matter" sign.

Protesters marched down a busy street to Busch Stadium about an hour before singer Billy Joel was scheduled to perform in front of an estimated 50,000 fans. Metal barriers were set up and many police officers stood outside the baseball stadium, some in riot gear.

At one point, the crowd of demonstrators chanted "I don't see no riot here, why are you in riot gear?"

Concerts by U2 and Ed Sheeran were canceled last weekend amid security concerns.

A couple hundred demonstrators blocked traffic for about 30 minutes Thursday afternoon near Forest Park. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that police formed a line to keep protesters from walking onto Interstate 64.

Demonstrators Gather in St. Louis for 4th Night

Demonstrators rallied in St. Louis Sept. 18 and shouted "free our people" for those jailed during Sunday's protests.

(Published Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017)

More than 160 people were arrested in protests last weekend. Rallies this week have been largely peaceful. On Wednesday, demonstrators blocked traffic near the St. Louis Galleria shopping mall. The protest broke up when police announced it had become an unlawful assembly.

Bush declined to disclose plans for additional upcoming protests and said it was too early to say if demonstrators would show up at a Sunday appearance in St. Louis by Steve Bannon, who returned as chief of Breitbart News last month after leaving President Donald Trump's administration.

Bannon is scheduled to appear at the "Put America First Rally" sponsored by Phyllis Schlafly's Eagles, a spinoff of the conservative think tank Eagle Forum. A spokeswoman for Phyllis Schlafly's Eagles said the rally was planned long before the recent spate of protests. Schlafly, a conservative icon, died last year at age 92.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that there have been more fatal police shootings in St. Louis so far in 2017 than in any year for a decade, even with three months remaining until year's end. Police have fatally shot eight people so far this year, up from five in all of 2016. Police say all of those shot by officers were armed.

Police Lt. Col. Rochelle Jones attributed the rise in police shootings to the rise in violent crime. But the Rev. Phillip Duvall, who has been active in recent protests, said the data suggests police are "not being too cautious."

Vandals Disrupt St. Louis Businesses After Protest

Police in St. Louis arrested more than 80 people and confiscated at least five weapons after violence broke out following peaceful protests, the police chief said Monday.

"People setting out to do damage are being arrested, and these criminals we've arrested should be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Acting Police Commissioner Lawrence O'Toole during a press conference early Monday morning. "We're in control, this is our city and we are going to protect it."